NATIONAL: SPORTS / RACING: Mysuru Bike Racer Varun Nanjundegowda Wins National Title ‘JK Tyre National Racing Championship RE GT Cup 2022’

Twenty-four-year-old bike racer Varun Nanjundegowda from Mysuru grabbed the National Championship title in Coimbatore by winning six out of eight races in JK Tyre National Racing Championship RE GT Cup recently.

Varun entered the world of motorsports two years ago. With consistent passion and the right training, Varun has till now secured seven podium finish to be a National Champion. Now, he is all set to participate with the seniors in Pro Category.

He is the son of J. Nanjunde Gowda (Assistant Executive Engineer at Cauvery Neeravari Nigam) and Jyothi Gowda (home-maker), residents of Gururaja Layout, Mysuru. A BBA graduate from Vidhyaashram First Grade College, Varun trains under Jagadeesh N. Gowda and Ajai Xavier at Bengaluru, Chennai and Coimbatore.

“My interest in biking came from my cousin brother Raghu.

But my parents never wanted me to develop love for racing. I had no idea of motorsports until I was in college where I began to read about races and watch moto GP on TV. My interest took shape when I was part of a Biking Club named ‘The Lycans’ where I met some amazing people who pushed me towards my goal,” says Varun expressing his gratitude to his parents, coaches, family and friends.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: AIRPORTS / TRAVEL/ METAVERSE: Kempegowda Intl Airport’s Terminal-2 (KIA T-2) is One of the First in the World that can be Experienced on the Metaverse. First phase of ‘BLR Metaport’ Launched

The Kempegowda International Airport’s Terminal-2 has become one of the first terminals in the world that can be experienced on the metaverse, after Bangalore International Airport Limited, operator of the KIA, on Tuesday announced the first phase launch of the BLR Metaport.

The Kempegowda International Airport’s (KIA) Terminal-2 has become one of the first terminals in the world that can be experienced on the metaverse, after Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), operator of the KIA, on Tuesday announced the first phase launch of the BLR Metaport.

Built in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Polygon, the BLR Metaport offers an immersive, three-dimensional (3D) virtual experience of the newly launched terminal.

Interested travellers and members of the public can log on to www.blrmetaport.com and virtually tour and navigate the new terminal using their smart devices.

The BLR Metaport is an outcome of the Joint Innovation Centre (JIC), announced in April 2022 by BIAL, AWS, and Intel. The JIC focuses on driving the development and adoption of digital solutions in aviation.

“For BIAL, the mission of the JIC is to leverage emerging technologies to build new business models and passenger experiences and be at the forefront of technology innovation in India’s commercial aviation,” BIAL added.

Developed in line with this mission, the BLR Metaport is one of the first airport metaverse experiences, designed to deliver an enhanced digital experience.

A 3D interface will offer customers new ways to interact with the airport, such as checking into flights, navigating terminals, shopping, and social aspects like connecting with other travellers.

BLR Metaport brings the virtual and physical worlds together to provide consistent engagement, and aims to excite travellers with new, unique, and immersive experiences.

BIAL’s Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Satyaki Raghunath said, “We are very excited that BIAL is entering into the new world of metaverse through the BLR Metaport.

This is our first foray into the world of Web3 and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and we aim to delight travellers with a unique, immersive, and virtual experience. We believe that it is important to connect with a new generation of our global audience through the metaverse.

We also have several initiatives planned around the BLR Metaport, which promise to increase ways in which we can engage with our global audience and enhance business impact over the next few years.”

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)